


What are we now?

by Dim_shim



Series: Dukat kids series [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: 10 years since end of ds9, Future Fic, Gen, More characters to be added as they appear - Freeform, also lets see whats up with Cardassian kids who grew up during the war, and hey remember that cult baby dukat had?, hey remember how Dukat had a wife and 7 kids lets see whats up with that, interviews all across the alpha quadrant, its been 10 years Sisko is back and being a cool dad, she's plot relevant!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28393956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dim_shim/pseuds/Dim_shim
Summary: 10 years after the end of the Dominion War, two sons of Gul Dukat travel to get answers to old questions. What initially is a meeting with Jake Sisko becomes a journey throughout the quadrant to look into a past the brothers were never allowed to learn about, all while Mekor thinks of how his family got here.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Dukat kids series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131164
Comments: 13
Kudos: 14





	1. Just some questions

Jake Sisko was doing well for himself at age 30. His short stories had been well received, and he was in the middle of writing his first novel. He lived in the outer perimeter of New Orleans with his wife Korena, things were going great. Which is of course cause for something to interrupt the flow of his work. A knock was at his door. He hadn’t been expecting any visitors today and Korena had the keys to the house, so he couldn’t be too sure of who was arriving.

As Jake got up and walked to the door, he considered the chances of a surprise visit from various friends and colleagues. Nog was still out on a mission, so he was out. The O’Brien family were on Earth but they usually announced visits, so it probably wasn't them. Dax? No he was pretty sure they were also still on a mission, or an adventure. 

The glass to the front door was textured, not allowing him a clear view of these visitors, but he could tell there were two of them, the other features he could discern giving him pause. 

“Who is it?” He asked.

“This is Jake Sisko’s house?” asked the shorter of the two figures.. “You’re Jake Sisko?” asked the taller figure.

“This is and I am. You still haven’t answered my question, and to be frank I won’t open the door until you do.”

“Apologies Mr. Sisko, we simply felt it was important to arrive here as soon as possible. I am Mekor, my brother Teross is here with me. I would like to ask you some questions if that’s at all possible. I realize we came here without any warning, but we would gladly appreciate any answers you can provide us.” 

Jake furrowed his eyebrows, opening the door to the two young Cardassian men that stood before him. Without the glass he could now see the details to the two. Both had their hair longer than the traditional Cardassian men's style, with the shorter one, Mekor if he wasn’t mistaken, having it pulled into a low ponytail, showing off his angular face. The taller one, Teross, had his hair pulled into a messy bun. They both wore civilian clothing, though Teross’ was more in style with that which Jake had enjoyed in his youth, which is to say it looked slightly gaudy. He blinked when examining Teross’ face, as he felt it was familiar, though he couldn't place his finger on who it reminded him of.

“What answers are you looking for then?” He asked, still wary.

“We wanted to learn more about...Well this is a bit blunt but we wanted to ask you about Ziyal. Dukat was our father, you see.”

Jake’s face blanched at that, and it took all his willpower not to slam the door in their faces. His father had taught him better than that.

“I...see...why me, exactly?”

Mekor looked remorseful as he replied, “We…recently learned of another child Dukat had. I had a rather, let's say strong reaction to the news. I realized I know very little of Ziyal, and I want someone in our family to remember her for the person she was, and not the rumors we had of her as children. You were close to her age, and you both lived on DS9 together. I felt you would be our best chance at getting clear answers about her.”

Teross chimed in, “That and you’re the only person from the list who we could easily get to.”

Jake grew puzzled at that, “A list?”

Teross smiled, “Oh yeah, Mekor went and went on and on about which people would be best suited for our questions, but as the one who was flying I picked our best shot, and here we are.”

Jake considered the two. Now that he knew it was Gul Dukat’s children, he could see the resemblance, especially in Teross. But Mekor seemed genuine, and Teross seemed to be laid back enough to go along with his brother. Jake considered that while most of Cardassia now considered Gul Dukat a stain on their history, there was a chance that his sons would have a different viewpoint. But assuming the worst in people was not how Jake had been raised, and he knew better than most that assuming to know the relationship of a famous person and their children was not a smart thing to do.

“Come in. I don’t think I can let you stay for dinner, but I’ll answer any questions you have. Take a seat, there’s plenty of room.”

“Thank you Mr. Sisko.” Mekor said as he entered.

“Please, I’m not that old, you can call me Jake.” Jake chuckled.

“Mr. Jake, you have a nice place here. Family home?” Asked Teross. 

“Oh no, Korena found this when we were looking for a house. Actually I should, uh, send a message to her, give me one moment.” Jake said as he went over to his communicator. Korena often turned it off while she was focusing on an art project but hopefully she would see his message before she came in. Surprising his wife by hosting two Cardassians would not be his best moment. Making sure the message was sent, he sat across from the brothers, who had situated themselves on the couch. Mekor sat up straight, fidgeting with his hands on his lap. Teross had taken to laying against the armrest, still examining the room from his position.

Jake narrowed his eyes, “I’m sorry to ask, but how big is your family? I had always known that Gul Dukat had children but the details were never something I learned back on DS9.”

Teross let out a laugh at that, while Mekor replied, “It’s no problem, we all had different priorities then. I am the fourth born out of seven. Teross here is the youngest of us, so I believe the human phrase is he’s the baby of the family.”

“Hey,” said Teross, lazily kicking Mekor, “I’m fucking 18, don’t call me a baby. Besides, you’re still younger than Mr. Jake here would you want him to call you a child?”

“Seeing as I’m 26, no, but I also do my best to respect those older than me. And stop kicking me, we are guests at this man’s house, have some manners.” Mekor said. Wiping his pants, he went on, “I apologize M- Jake. I do not wish to waste your time like this-”

“Oh it’s fine, I don’t mind. Go on with the, well I guess it’s not an interview, but uh, go on with your questions.”

Teross stretched, massaging his shoulder as he said, “Mekor picking up the pace a bit would be appreciated.”

“Alright, alright. I-” Mekor hesitated, “...What was Ziyal like?”

Jake considered for a moment before answering, “She was shy, at first. She didn’t know anyone at the station, and no one knew what to think of her. To be honest, we weren’t the closest, Nog was my best friend, so at first we didn’t really talk. But Kira knew it was important for her to have friends her own age, so she kinda pushed us both towards each other. Despite everything she had gone through, it didn’t take too long for her to open up. Once that happened, I got to know more of her real personality. She was upfront when she felt comfortable doing so. She had a crush on Garak, and while he never returned it, she didn’t do much to hide it.”

The blood rushed from Mekor’s face, turning it a chalky white.

Teross fell from the couch. 

“Oh FUCK.”

Jake leapt from his seat, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Teross replied, “Totally great. It’s not like I just learned my half sister had a crush on Elim Fucking Garak, noted leader of our planet, it’s all cool.” He slowly got back onto the couch, sitting a bit more properly this time. “I think you broke Mekor though.”

Jake turned to look at Mekor, whose face had seemingly become stuck. 

“Mekor, are you good?” 

Mekor slowly blinked, the color returning to his face, responding, “I was… not expecting that but uhh. I’ll be alright. Um, you were telling us about her opening up.” 

Jake, sitting back down, continued, “Oh right. She was a sweet person. She had a rough upbringing, so it was always great being able to go to holosuites and show her all these cool places. She was always excited to learn more. In terms of activities though, we did connect on one thing in particular, we were both interested in the arts. She was more interested in painting and drawing, I was obviously more interested in writing. We would sometimes talk about what we loved about art, what frustrated us, what piqued our curiosity. She was a great person to bounce ideas with, she wouldn’t hold back on her opinion. She was kind, even to people who probably didn’t deserve her kindness. And to be honest, even though she didn’t talk about it much, she was very resilient. She had to live on both Cardassia and Bajor, and neither place was very accepting of her. She made sure to never hide away though, and I think that takes a lot of courage. That’s how I remember her, at least.”

Mekor took all that information in. “About that, how did she feel? About Cardassia, and Bajor, and how that differed from DS9?”

Jake took some time before saying, “I think she felt very isolated. On Cardassia more so, but on Bajor as well. Bajor didn’t like the idea that any positives could come from interaction with Cardassia, and Ziyal pushed against that a lot in her time there. Her art spoke to that, trying to connect those identities in a way that others would appreciate. By contrast, she didn’t experience that isolation on DS9, at least not that I noticed. She had a much larger network of people who cared about her, for one, and given that there were other species around, her existence wasn’t something that was all that remarkable. The Bajorans on the station also knew that Major Kira wasn’t going to put up with anyone harassing her, so I think that made it easier on her too. I think she was still lonely at times, she didn't have many friends who weren’t adults, but it was simpler to be herself.”

Mekor nodded at that. He considered his next question. Not finding a better way to phrase it, he asked, “Do you know what...drew my father to care about her?”

Jake grew confused with that, “Uhhmmm. I’m not sure I understand.”

Teross piped up, “I know how to translate that. Apparently our father was rather obvious with his favoritism. Mekor wants to know why he lost first place on the sibling rank.”

Mekor swiveled his head to Teross, “That is not what I was saying.”

Teross leaned back against the couch, “Were you or were you not Dukat's favorite until Ziyal showed up?” He asked.

“I. Just because Dad’s favoritism was directed towards me when I was younger does not mean I appreciated or even liked it. This is about Ziyal, anyways.” Mekor said.

Jake cut in before this argument got any more heated, “Well, I can’t help you much on that front. I did my best to keep away from Dukat, so I can’t say much about him. Ziyal would mention him from time to time, but given that our fathers were enemies neither of us brought it up much. I’m not the best person for that kind of question, sorry.”

Mekor nodded. “Thank you,” he said, “I only have one question left, then. Was her death what changed him?”

Jake took a breath at that. He didn’t like to think about that time. “I wasn’t there to see it. But from what I heard… yes.”

“I see,” Mekor said, “Well I appreciate you giving us the time to talk to you Jake. You’ve provided quite a lot of information.”

Jake thought about how sparse the questions had been. He stood up, heading to the door. “Well I appreciate being able to help you two. I hope you got what you were looking for.”

He opened the door to a thin Bajoran woman, her skin light brown, dark brown hair tied back into a braid. Jake jumped in surprise, “Honey! Did you--”

“I saw your message Jake,” Korena said, lifting up her communicator “I wanted a bit more information on these random boys you’ve invited into the house.”

“We wanted to know more about our dead sister.” Teross said behind Jake, making him jump.

“That’s-ok well that is technically what we did but, ma’am we simply wanted to ask some questions, we have no intention of staying or coming back. I-I’m so sorry for the imposition.” Mekor stammered.

“I’d like to ask you some questions myself, actually.” She said.

“Korena--”

“Dear, I simply want to know about these visitors.”

“Are you two alright with that?” Jake turned to Mekor and Teross. Looking at each other, Teross shrugged his shoulders. Mekor raised his eyebrows. Teross responded with a flinch of the lips, pulling them to the side. Within this silent communication they came to an agreement. Mekor looked to Jake, then to Korena, saying, “We have time.”

“Wonderful, take a seat, this shouldn’t be too long.” Korena said as she entered the house, walking to sit in the chair that Jake had previously occupied. The brothers went back to the couch, now both tense. Jake took a chair from the dining room, bringing it over to sit next to his wife. Korena had a polite smile, but it did little to comfort the brothers. Korena was Bajoran, and no Bajoran was going to let two Cardassians into their house to ask them any simple questions. This was going to be a test, one way or another. 

“So, first off, who are you?”

“I am Mekor Drim, and this is my younger brother, Teross.”

“And your parents?”

“Athra Drim and Skrain Dukat.”

Korena stiffened at that, polite smile still plastered on, “And you decided to talk to Jake about what exactly?” 

Mekor had to fight the urge to fiddle with his fingers. “I wanted to know about Tora Ziyal. We share a father and I was curious.”

Korena’s smile finally dropped, a perturbed look taking over as she asked, “And why are you curious now?”

Mekor paused at that, “Now, Ma’am?”

“Yes now. It’s been quite a few years since she passed away. Why now?”

“I’ve been...it has been something I’ve wondered for many years, I felt it was time to get the facts that I...oh hiding facts isn’t going to help anyone. I came here because we learned we have another sister. Another child of Dukats, that is, that we didn’t know about. It reminded me of the fact that I never took the time to look into Ziyals life, and I wish to fix that. If I can learn more about her, it might also help me with this other sister.”

“What do you mean by help?”

“I want to find her, get the chance to actually know her.”

“Because you never got that chance with Ziyal, am I getting that right?”

“W-well yes. Isn’t that what is best to do? Give that opportunity that I didn’t get when I was younger?”

Korena took a moment, examining him, “I’m not against family reunions. But I want to warn you now, most parents of half Cardassian children on Bajor will not be as...lets call it receptive to you. Do you truly understand what it might mean to disturb these people's lives?”

Teross scoffed, “Well we want to just meet the kid, it's not like we’re going over there to start another occupation. She’s our sister, we have a right to at least know if she’s still alive.”

“I'm not arguing against your journey but I have to ask. Do you know just how deep the damage your father caused was? Either to that family or to Bajor? It’s not something that can just be brushed off, no matter your reasons.”

Teross rolled his eyes, “Of course we know, he was the worst thing to ever happen to us or Cardassia. Trust me, no one in our family holds any good will towards that asshole's memory, and most of Cardassia agrees that if it weren’t for Dukat Cardassia would probably still be known as the Cardassian Union. He’s better left forgotten, along with those shit prophets or whatever it was he believed in.”

“The Pah-wraiths, not Prophets, and while I appreciate your candor, I don’t think that will be enough. You need to understand how Bajor saw what he did, and just how much pain he brought.”

Mekor bit at his lip, trying to see the reasoning, saying ,“You’re saying that we should learn his crimes but we already do. We’ve learned about them all over the years.”

Korena leaned forward, “And who did you learn from?”

Mekor paused as he began to piece together her point, “...Cardassians.”

Teross looked between the two of them, “Wait, why is Cardassians teaching us that Dukat was a shitbag not good?” 

“Because you need multiple accounts for a full story,” answered Jake, “Even if everyone agrees on the same point, knowing how they came to that point is just as important.”

“And how do we go about doing that?” asked Teross, “It’s not exactly like we can just go up to every Bajoran we meet and ask about how Dukat either directly or indirectly fucked them over.”

“Well no,” said Jake, “But I know a few people who would be good to ask. I can give you a list before you head out, if you're serious about getting to know this sister of yours, it's only fair you have the best opportunity to learn.”

Korena turned to Jake, saying, “Your father had to deal with him quite a lot didn’t he? He would have a lot to tell them. He may not be Bajoran, but as the Emissary he’s probably the most qualified human to discuss this.”

Mekor felt overwhelmed. This was getting out of hand very fast. “We-uh, we appreciate what you’ve told us but this is too generous of you. We can, we’ll figure out ourselves.”

“Nonsense. It would give me a chance to talk to Dad without him asking about how the book is going, it’s not a bother.” Jake stood up, going over to write with a proper pen and paper for the list, “I can just give him a call that you two might show up. You don’t have to if you feel it’s not worth it, but I would recommend at least considering it.”

Jake returned, giving Mekor the slip of paper. He was still trying to process what had just occurred, “I...I definitely will consider it, Mr.Jake. I mean Jake.”

Teross noticed that there was finally a lull and stood up, dragging Mekor up and out of the house. “Well we greatly appreciate this, thank you very much, goodbye!” 

Shutting the door before Jake or Korena could get a word in, he speedwalked out of the property while still holding Mekor, “I thought we were going all the way to Earth to ask questions about Ziyal, why are we being sent off to Bajor to talk to their Emissary?” 

“We have to go there.” 

Teross gave Mekor a pleading stare, “Do we though? We were just told we don't have to, and to be honest I’m not confident that us asking Benjamin Sisko about what Dukat was like is a great idea.”

“Korena and Jake were right. How can we actually understand the type of person our father was if all we have is accounts from Cardassia?”

“Because just about every time we’ve come across Bajorans they have to remind us of what Cardassia did to them, which, funny enough, includes what Dukat did. I’d say we know more than enough about that point in time, and going to Bajor isn’t going to do us any favors. Besides, it doesn’t matter how much we understand what happened, we could find our sister years after study of every single war crime ever committed by Cardassia and it wouldn’t be enough to make her parents like us.”

“But don’t we have an obligation to at least try?” Mekor snapped back, “If not for our sakes, if not for the Bajorans, then at least so that if asked by our sister, we can have some answers?”

Teross curled his hands into fists, taking a deep breath. 

“...Fine. We’ll head to Bajor and talk to the damn Emissary. If that’s what it takes to make you let this rest.”

“We might need to go see more than Benjamin Sisko.” 

“You’re kidding.”

Mekor brought the slip of paper up between them. He said, “If it makes you feel any better it seems like a small list.”

“Why does it sound like there’s bad news mixed in with that?”

Mekor gave a weak smile as he answered, “The other names on this list are Kira Nerys and Elim Garak.”

Teross closed his eyes, rubbing his face and then lightly slapping it. 

“We are getting a fucking drink before we head to Bajor.”

“That’s fair.”

Heading back to Teross’ ship, Mekor considered what brought him on this path in the first place, both considering the path he decided to take, and if that path would be worth it.

\------


	2. A lost step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into what set Mekor onto this journey in the first place.

-Two days ago-

“Sorry I’m late.”

Five heads rose up to stare at Mekor as he entered the waiting room. The faces of each ranged from annoyed to bored, with only Mojea having a full smile as she walked over to Mekor to give him a hug.

“We were starting to get worried.” She said.

“We were starting to think you’d arrive after Teross.” said Darne, a small smirk forming on his face.

“Oh please, there was an accident on Rova Street, so I had to figure out another route to get here, I’ve never gotten here on the backroads,” replied Mekor before asking, “How is she?”

“We haven’t been told much about her condition, simply that it would have been better if it had been caught earlier.” Khossan answered, her agitation building into her shoulders more with every word.

“We’ve been talking while you took your time getting here. We think it may be Toram Yen, given how sudden she got ill, and they always say it can crop up due to stress.” Lorrem said, standing stiff next to Khossan. “Though they haven’t told us, given how we are not all here. Where is Teross anyways, did he even make it onto the planet yet or did he get arrested before he could even get here?”

“Oh please Lorrem, he’s smarter than that, he’ll get here,” Ena said, “Mekor, you messaged him right? So he’s already on the planet?”

“Oh, well yes, the last message he sent was that he’d landed, though it has been...20 minutes since then. He may be held up wherever he put his ship” Mekor said, checking his communicator to check that Teross had, in fact, not updated him on where he was.

“Well he better get here soon, I’ve been in this room all morning and even if Mother’s desire to have everyone present is important if I have to wait another hour I’m going in there, with or without that child.” Khossan paced as she talked, only having a few short steps to walk before having to turn around again and again.

Darne gave a stretch as he said, “He’s not a child anymore, is he? 18 now.”

“18 for a handful of months, and even then it doesn't amount to much, given how childish he insists on being.” Lorrem retorted.

“If he’s not here in the next 20 minutes I can give him a call.” Mekor said.

“No need to keep worrying, the party has finally arrived!” Teross said as he swaggered into the room, a wide grin on his face.

“Well I win the bet.” Darne said.

“Bet?” asked Mekor.

“I bet that Teross would arrive after you by 10 minutes.” Ena replied.

“Why would you--you know what, I don't want to know.”

“Oh come on, dear old Mom isn’t on death’s door.” Teross complained.

“Just because she isn't critical doesn't mean she isn't incredibly sick Teross, don't be so crude.” Lorrem bit out.

“We’re all here and that’s what matters right now. Come on, we haven’t all been under the same roof since Ena’s graduation. Let’s head over to her room, Mom must be in a state that we aren't already there.” said Mojea. She went over to a keypad, putting a combination that would signify that they were ready to go. Soon after, a voice came from the keypad: “Room 257E, Athra Drim children ready for arrival.” The door slid open, and the siblings walked down the halls to the room.

A doctor was waiting by the door as they arrived, staring up from a PADD as they approached, looking tired as he asked, “Drim household?”

“Yes” replied Khossan, leading the pack.

“Confirmation questions for each member please.”

“Oh please, our mother is bedridden, are you really going to make us wait any longer?”

“Finger scans are standard procedure, and your mother requested the questions herself ma’am, there’s nothing I can do about it. Thumb here please.” The doctor said as he pulled out a small circular, glass like device.

“Fine.” Khossan placed her thumb onto the device until it clicked. The doctor examined as text showed on the bottom. “Name and job?”

“Khossan Drim, I work in the Ministry of Finance, accounting division.”

The doctor nodded, and followed suit on doing so to the rest of the siblings. Each responded in kind.

“Mojea Drim, a ship-doctor.”

“Lorrem Drim, the Cardassian government, rank Glinn.”

“Mekor Drim, uh, freelance historian at the moment, though Mom may insist I’m unemployed.”

“Darne Drim, Glinn.”

“Ena Drim, member of the Ministry of Trade.”

“Teross Drim. I do a lot of...odd jobs all over the quadrant.”

The doctor looked at the PADD, on which the listed answer was Criminal and looked back up. “That is sufficient. You may all enter, you have an hour with her.”

They entered the room. It wasn’t incredibly large, with most of the space being taken by the machines near the bed, but the siblings made do as they crowded around their mother.

Mekor was surprised to see her in such a state. There had only been a few times in his life where he had ever seen his mother display how tired she was, always working on one thing or another. But here, in the bed, she didn’t simply look tired. She looked frail. Her eyes were more sunken in, and the needles connecting to her arms looked so large compared to her thin arms. She had lost weight, and she had never eaten enough to begin with. And yet her face still held the same seriousness that it always did, a determined glare as she looked at all of them.

“I would expect my own children to hurry along at the news of their mother being ill.”

“It was Mekor and Teross, they are the ones who--”  
“Now hold on I came here as fast as I could--”  
“That doesn’t change the fact that--”  
“Could you two stop it plea--”

“Enough.”

Athra Drim did not yell at her children. That is because she did not have to. The room fell silent immediately after her order. Mekor thought she would have done an amazing job as a military leader, but Athra chose to stay at home, and so her orders were only ever felt by those under her roof.

“I have Toram Yen. It is at the second stage, which really means that it is a 50/50 chance on whether the medicine they pump into me will do any good. I do not intend for this to kill me, but I have to be realistic with myself. You are my legacy, and thus I ask of you all to ensure that my final wishes are remembered and, more importantly, followed up on. If I survive this, then you will have aided me greatly during my sickness. If I die, then you are ensuring our family legacy is respected.”

“Mom, if you wanted us to do your dirty work, you could just say it.” Teross said, having situated himself against the wall.

“These are not simply jobs to follow up on, Teross. I have held many secrets over the years. Many have lost their power in that time, others have not. Given my condition, I feel it is only right that you may carry those secrets, and decide what to do with them. I cannot ensure you follow through on everything I ask of you, but I can hope that, as siblings, you can agree to aid me in this manner,” Athra took a deep breath, as if readying herself for this process, “There’s no time to waste, let us begin.”

======

It was a long hour, Athra speaking for most of it, with only small pauses to drink and regain her strength. Darne had taken the self appointed position of scribe, writing down everything so as to ensure that every assignment and secret was accounted for.

“All in a private PADD of course, this isn’t going to be accessed by anyone but myself.” He had said when confronted by Lorrem.

Mekor was only paying half attention by the last few minutes of the visit. Athra’s demands and secrets were not that surprising, given the type of person she was. Be wary of so-and-so, follow up on this request from this-and-that, all rather typical. But then his ears perked up as Athra said, “There is something I need to tell you about your father.”

Skrain Dukat was not a person that was mentioned in the Drim household, not in the presence of Athra. He had done too much to their family, to their people, to warrant remembrance. At best, he was a reminder of how much the family had moved on, in their own ways. That Athra would mention him now of all times, meant this was something important.

“When Dukat lost his mind and joined that cult, he was surrounded by the dumbest Bajorans in the quadrant. I learned that during his time in it, he sired another bastard child, another girl. I believe it’s alive somewhere on Bajor.”

A different kind of silence filled the room, until Mekor broke it.

“WHAT?”

“Mekor don’t shout.” Ena whined.

“NO. I GET TO BE UPSET ABOUT THIS. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??”

“Mekor--”

“NO! YOU DON’T GET TO JUST DROP THAT ON US AND EXPECT WE GO ON WITH OUR LIVES, WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? WE HAD A SISTER AND YOU NEVER TOLD US?”

“It is your half sister--”

“DON’T GIVE ME LOGISTICS SHE’S OUR SISTER.”

Khossan stood up straight as she tried to keep her voice level, “Do not yell at Mother. What does it matter anyways, we know nothing about the child.”

“BECAUSE WE WERE NEVER FUCKING TOLD. MAYBE I WANT TO LEARN ABOUT HER, BUT CAN’T BECAUSE I DIDN’T. FUCKING. KNOW.”

“Mekor--” Lorrem went to grab at him, but he pulled away, walking to the door.

“I felt no need to tell any of you. After all, none of you searched to learn more about the first bastard after she died, that showed me enough.”

Mekor froze at the door. He could have said any number of things in response. That as a child he was not allowed to talk about her. That life was so busy after she died there was no time to find answers to the questions he had about her. That when he was younger, she was simply a curiosity that he wanted to understand, and then lost the chance to. But those were all excuses. It had been over ten years since Ziyal’s death. If Mekor had really wanted to learn about her, he had had more than enough time to search.

“Then I’ll learn about Ziyal now, and this child too.”

And with that, he opened the door and left.

======

It didn't take too long for one of his siblings to catch up to him, though he was surprised by who.

“Well that was certainly an exit. Plan to do that all over or was that just for the family?” Teross asked as he jogged to reach Mekor. He was smiling as he said it, clearly amused by the fight.

“How are you so calm about this? This changes everything.”

“Does it?” Teross raised his brows, continuing, “Dear dead Dukat slept with another Bajoran woman, again, and didn’t use protection, again, and had another kid, again. Seems pretty routine, given his track record. Not like I can do much to know which of the thousands of Bajoran-Cardassian kids belong to whom so I feel no need to yell at Mom about it.”

“But this is, it’s important.”

“I’m not saying it’s not important or significant but. Not much I can do about it, so I might as well let it be.”

“Well I’m not going to let it be.”

“Good, because there are several things you could be helping with.” The two turned as they saw Darne walk over to them, “Honestly, what is it with you two and avoiding work. Mekor, Teross, you both travel off planet more often than anyone else in the family, there’s a few requests from Mother that--”

“Darne, none of that matters.” Mekor cut him off, his anger building again, “Literally none of that matters. You honestly think that any of those dumb requests are important?”

Darne restrained his sneer as he answered, “Well, given that I just spent the last hour writing everything down and am already working on following up on several of these, yes, I think they're very important.”

“Well you’re an idiot then. I’m going to follow up on the one thing Mom mentioned that’s actually of value.”

“And where are you even going to start?” Darne asked mockingly.

“I’ll...I’ll figure that out. Outside of here.”

Mekor walked out of the hospital, heading to his hovercar. As he was opening the car he noticed that Teross was still following him.

“What?”

Teross looked innocently at him, “I can’t hang out with my sweet older brother and join him on his little adventure to find our half sister?”

Mekor closed his eyes, “You don’t want Darne to give you any work.”

Teross sighed, “Well, yes. But I am also legitimately interested in this, and it helps that my work is asking for me to leave Cardassia right about now.”

“Please don’t tell me there’s a warrant for your head.”

“Oh please, nothing like that. But there’s various parties that would...appreciate me not being on Cardassia, and if spending time with you allows for that, then I am all for this adventure.”

“Don’t call it an adventure but. Alright, you can come along. We’ll need your ship anyways, I stopped paying the rent on mine a month ago.”

“Fine, but you’re paying for fuel.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So theres the first (technical) flashback chapter! We will be seeing the Drim household again both in the present day and in the past. It was a lot but thats what happens when the canon states that Dukat had 7 kids. I will upload a separate fic/gallery to show my designs for the kids to keep this unclogged and not as long so if you need help visualizing all the different siblings that will be coming within the next few days. Any thoughts on the family and/or Mekor's reaction to the news? Comments and kudos are always welcome.  
> EDIT (1/12/21): Sketches/art is up! making this a series seems to be a bit finicky on my side so if you cannot find it from that here is what you need to see the siblings: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28721586


	3. A clash at the bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mekor and Teross get to DS9 before they head to Bajor. Things do not go as planned.

“I’ve never been.”

“Not once? How come, it has a bunch of history doesn’t it?”

“And it’s full of Bajorans, who don’t like reminders of who made this station.”

“Oh please, you’re the adventurous one, you can’t be that afraid of Bajorans, you’ve actually been to Bajor.”

“And I got mugged, twice. Bajor doesn’t care that we were kids, they know our parents hurt them, and to be frank I don’t blame them.”

“Oh please not this again.”

“Teross you can’t just ignore that part of history, Bajorans certainly won’t.”

“Well, _Mekor_ , I get all that but most Bajorans seem to forget that Cardassia also got occupied and fucking blown to shit during the war, so how about we meet in the middle and remind each other of that, hmm?”

“That—“

“I’m not going to argue with you about this anymore, let’s just enjoy being here. Speaking of, the most important establishment of the station.”

Teross threw his arms up at the entrance of an open, noisy restaurant. “Quark’s, the only proper bar on DS9 and the only real place that’s any fun. The bar serves drinks from every quadrant, the food could be better but it’s decent for a Federation station.”

“I appreciate the pitch but you forgot the dabo table and holo-programs.” Mekor turned to see a Ferengi dressed in customary ugly Ferengi fashion, stepping up to them.

“My brother doesn’t care for that stuff, he's boring.”

“ _Hey_.”

“Mekor, meet Quark, the owner of this fine establishment. Quark, my brother Mekor.”

Quark bared his teeth in what Mekor assumed was a smirk, though with the teeth it could have been a snarl. “It’s a pleasure to have you two here, it would be even more of a pleasure if you two decided to be paying customers for the night.”

“Of course, I’ll have some lemonade.”

Teross turned to him, “Are you serious? Come on, live a little. Supernova for me, Quark, make it two in case my brother decides to be a proper adult and drink some alcohol.”

“Two Supernovas and a lemonade, coming right up.” Quark rattled off as he went over to the replicator.

Settling on the barstools, Mekor curled into himself as he glanced around the bar. The first floor had a wide variety of different species milling about, the most rambunctious crowded around the dabo table. Those in the tables up above mostly consisted of those who were likely permanent members of the station. It did not escape his notice that while diverse, the majority of the clientele of the bar (and the station) were Bajoran. 

Receiving their drinks, Mekor sipped on his lemonade, his eyes finally resting on Teross who was giving him a disparaging look.

“What?” 

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Scouting and searching.”

Mekor tensed up, “Don’t call it that.”

“That’s what it is.”

“No, I’m just. Observing.”

“No, you’re looking for any hostilities. Threats to our immediate safety, what their distance is, what implements might be used to attack us. You know, scouting and searching like in the old days.”

“I just don’t want anything to happen while we’re here, is that too much of an issue?”

“Oh please we’ll be fine, I’ve been here before and the worst I’ve ever had was some dirty looks and--”

Teross was cut off as uproarious laughter cut into the bar, two Klingon men walking in. They looked to be younger soldiers, their armor still on and their faces still light on scars. They plopped down only a seat away from Teross, one shouting, “Bartender! Two bloodwines for our victory!”

Being handed their own drinks, the Klingons raised their glasses to each other. The one closest to Teross, slightly taller than his companion, said “May the names of Ash’osh and Chamuz be sung by many for our glory in battle!” Knocking back their glasses, they downed their bloodwine quickly. 

Teross gave them a side eye, starting to curl around his drink himself. Mekor kept his head low.

Mekor sighed, saying, “You know I can try a little bit of this Supernova, hand it over.”

Teross chuckled, “Oh so now you’re interested in drinking.” 

“I’m almost done with the lemonade anyway, let’s just finish our drinks and go.”

It was at this point that the Klingons had taken notice of them. The taller one gave them a once over before asking, “Look here Chamuz, two Cardassians in our midst. What brings spies into this station?”

Teross stiffened, replying, “Oh just seeing what exploits you Klingons get up to when you aren't getting yourselves killed.” 

The shorter one, Chamuz, stood up at that, “You dare insult us, Cardassian? We have just finished a fine battle against Breen scum, and have come to celebrate our victory. What victory have the Cardassians had in the last several decades?” 

Teross opened his mouth to make another smart mouthed comment when Mekor grabbed him by the arm, “Let’s go, I am not going to deal with you antagonizing them.”

Teross scoffed, “I’m not going to just take this lying down like you.” Turning to the Klingons, he retorted, “At least Cardasians know when to pick their fights, you Klingons can’t go five years without starting a war. Who could forget when you got so gung ho about invading that you fought with Cardassia for trying to be less militaristic?”

Chamuz smirked at that, saying, “You really think that was a war? That was barely a proper fight! A simple warm up for the Dominion War. Besides, if it hadn’t been for Cardassia joining the Dominion, it would have ended with a Klingon victory.” 

Mekor knew he should not respond, that they needed to leave, but he couldn't stop himself when he said, “You shouldn’t disrespect the lives lost during that war. And it was a _war,_ even Klingon historians call it that. It put strains on both sides and many events could have changed the course of that conflict.”

Ash’osh smacked the back of his palm against Chamuz’s shoulder, smiling. “You talk as if you know anything about war. Are you a soldier?”

“No.”

“Then you wouldn’t know anything about what war really is, now would you?”

Mekor held Teross, and more importantly, himself, from moving towards the Klingons, “We are Cardassians. We were civilians who lived on Cardassia Prime during the Dominion War. We know plenty. Come on Teross let’s go.”

Teross, giving him a glare, moved to leave. Mekor stuck to his side, closer to the bar as they headed out. Mekor was almost proud of himself for not allowing an altercation to take place, if his failure to prove his point hadn’t made his mouth taste of ash.

"You hear that Chamuz? They think they have told us a revelation. What do Cardassian civilians know about war? They can never truly understand it like us warriors. Why bother giving respect to all those Cardassians, there was certainly no honor in their deaths.”

There were few times in his life where Mekor acted before he thought. He didn’t do things without thinking through the consequences, without looking at the facts. But this was a moment his body moved before his mind, as Mekors hand grabbed for one of the glass bottles lining Quark's bar top, turning around and throwing it with all his might at the head of the taller Klingon. It shattered square in his face.

Immediately all hell broke loose. Ash’osh fell, Chamuz giving a yell before going for Mekor. Teross intercepted him, throwing him towards the dabo table. Mekor felt his rage still frothing as he went over to Ash’osh, now staggering and trying to wipe at his face. Mekor grabbed him by the front of his uniform and slammed him against a pillar. And like Ash’osh’s head snapping back, Mekor felt an old rage snap.

“WHAT GOOD IS HONOR WHEN YOU’RE BEING _BOMBED_ ? WHAT GOOD IS HONOR WHEN YOUR PEOPLE ARE BEING MURDERED IN THEIR OWN HOMES? WHY WOULD WE EVER CARE ABOUT HONOR WHEN WE JUST NEEDED TO FUCKING _SURVIVE_?”

Snarling, Ash’osh drew out a blade, swiping at Mekor. Despite never being much of a fighter in his youth, he was still a Cardassian. He had trained to do simple hand to hand fighting, along with occasional scraps with his siblings. This had ratcheted up when the war hit, learning to use a gun, hiding your weapons, and improvising when your opponent was a Jem’Hadar soldier.

Mekor jumped away, grabbing an abandoned plate of half eaten azna and throwing it. Side stepping the plate, Ash’osh laughed, “I won’t be fooled by-” before Mekor dove for his legs, knocking him down to the floor, making him drop his knife. The two scrambled to grab it, Mekors fingers brushing against the handle before Ash’osh was able to roll and kick Mekor square in the chest. 

Wheezing, Mekor looked over to the rest of the bar. Several patrons had left, with those remaining having gathered on the top floor to watch the fight from a safe distance. He could hear the dabo girls and Quark yelling for security. He caught a glimpse of Teross and Chamuz still wailing on one another, knocking down tables and chairs as they headed closer to the other side of the bar. He looked back at Ash’osh, who had reacquired his blade and was just about to be above him. Trying to roll away, he felt a hand grab at his neck, painfully clenching at it and his now loose hair. He felt as he was pulled up from the ground and thrown back to the bar. Facing Ash’osh, he saw him raise his knife to strike his face when they heard a yell. Looking to his left, Mekor saw that somehow Teross and Chamuz had gotten on top of the bar top, Chamuz now falling from a solid punch from Teross. Without missing a beat, Teross grabbed a serving tray and ran towards them, raising the tray as he jumped from the bar top, yelling, and slammed the tray against Ash’osh’s head. Having been held by Ash’osh, all three bodies fell to the ground. 

Shoving Ash’osh’s now limp body off of him, Teross pulled Mekor up, the widest smile on his face.

“You started a fight!”

Mekor immediately felt the guilt and disappointment in himself set in, “I...made a bad judgement, please stop smiling, this isn't something to be happy about.”

Teross laughed, “Oh come one, let me have this! My sweet older brother, Mr. ‘It’s stupid to get into fights Teross, you’ll just shorten your lifespan’, just fought two idiot Klingons and won. I’m so proud.”

“I would not use the term proud for what has occurred here. Hands extended, you four are being taken to the holding cells for this fight.” A Bajoran woman in a security outfit said as she entered the bar, stern face and a security team behind her indicating her status as the chief of security. A shock of white blonde hair pulled back tight and grey eyes gave her a chilling, authoritative air about her. Mekor immediately threw his hands out, Teross slowly following along. Mekor heard the groans of both Klingons as they were moved out of the bar.

As they were headed out, Mekor saw Quark in his periphery, letting out a tired, “You’re paying for this Teross.”

“Sure thing, after a fight like that it's worth it.”

\-----

They had been placed together, Mekor sitting on the bench with his hands in his face, while Teross sat on the floor, leaning against the wall beside the barrier. Both stayed silent. Maybe it was their mothers lessons still embedded in them. ‘When under detainment, don’t say anything to an enemy force unless absolutely necessary.’ Two guards stood post, one at the main desk and another at the front entrance. The Klingons were still being tended to in the sick bay, but it was only a matter of minutes before they would be there. 

The door slid open, Teross taking a glance at who entered. The Bajoran chief of security, being followed by a few upset looking female Klingon.

“Chief Huvel, I want to know what kind of station is being run here that allows for two Klingons to be attacked in a public area with no proper repercussions for the assailants while my men are being threatened with being thrown into a holding cell. I-”

“Captain Xenorr, is it?” The chief cut in, “I apologize for the disruption this has caused to you and your crew but we have protocols to abide by in this station. The assailants, as you call them, are right here. Your men were directly involved in the fight that took place, and since we are still gathering information on what occurred, your men will still have to be placed here after the medical staff have taken care of them. I came here to see what these two have to say for themselves.” 

Both of the women looked down at Mekor and Teross. Teross took in the look of disdain from Xenorr, the tired apathy from Huvel, and turned away to look back at Mekor.

Giving a light kick to Mekor in the leg, Teross asked, “What questions do you have for us, officer?” 

Hovel took a breath, pulling out a PADD, “Well first and foremost, names and reason for coming to the station.”

“Oh something simple, how nice. Teross Drim, the one wallowing in guilt is Mekor Drim. We’re headed to Bajor, wanted to make a pitstop, show my brother the place, he’s never been.” 

“Quark said that you go to his bar every time you arrive, is that correct?”

“Yeah, just about. He’s one of the only people on the station who doesn’t give me a stink eye, so I enjoy going over to his establishment.”

“What was your intent when you walked into the bar?”

Xenorr rolled her eyes, saying, “Oh this is ridiculous, get to the point already, you two attacked my men, why?”

Teross smiled, replying, “Well this one,” emphasized by a harder kick, “was the one who started it, so it would be best if he answered.” 

Huvel asked, “Mekor Drim? Sir? Is he listening?”

Teross stood up, “Hold on.”

Sticking an index finger in his mouth, Teross made sure his finger was wet before sticking it into Mekor’s ear. Jumping up from the seat, Mekor pushed Teross away, “What the fuck Teross?!?”

“You were stuck in your head, what else was I supposed to do? Now that you're back in the land of the living, mind answering the question? Did you even hear it?”

“I heard it, I heard it, I just. Nevermind. Captain. Chief.” Nodding to both women, Mekor stood straight, “I greatly apologize for what happened I don’t know what came over me. It was just…”

Huvel raised an eyebrow, “Just?”

“They insulted those that died in the Dominion War. Those who were Cardassian civilians that is. I-I know its no way to react but I was so angry at the thought that people would disrespect the lives of those lost I. I just. Reacted. By throwing a bottle at them. Apologies again, to both of you and to the patrons of that bar.”

“Quark has handled worse,” Huvel replied, “but as instigators of the altercation you can be charged for assault. Whatever plans you had on Bajor will have to wait.”

“They what.”

The boys turned to Xenorr, whose face had gone ashen.

Mekor swallowed, “They were drinking- there was no reason for me to-”

“How old were you when the war ended, both of you?”

“I was sixteen.”

“Eight.”

Xenorr jaw tightened.

The door slid open, Ash’osh and Chamuz stumbling in with two guards behind them. Xenorr walked over to them. The two lit up seeing their commanding officer, speaking over each other.

“CAPTAIN! The medical staff were-” 

“Captain Xenorr those Cardassians-”

Xenorr grabbed both of their heads and smashed them against the other. Rushing over, Huvel placed herself in front of Xenorr.

“Captain I don’t want to have to throw you into a cell as well.”

“I simply needed to get the message across to my men that they are the biggest idiots this side of the galaxy.” Leaning forward to the two soldiers, she raised her voice, “What kind of dishonor do I have in my ranks? Two Klingon soldiers taken down by Cardassian civilians, and why? Because you two think that to be a civilian is to not be a part of war? Your generation has become soft, not participating in a proper war to see how things work. Cardassia had the war in their very homes. To disrespect millions of lives taken, by the underhanded methods of the Dominion no less, and say that those lives have no place of honor? Had it not been for Cardassian civilians rising against the Dominion their ships would have been able to regroup and cost the Alliance thousands of lives, and weaken the chance of victory. You will apologize to those two and receive whatever punishment this station must place upon you two, and if I hear a word of disagreement I’ll make sure you two never get to experience another battle again, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes captain.”

“Of course captain.”

Walking over, the soldiers did their best to hide their fear and embarrassment. 

“We should not have insulted your people in such a way.” Ash’osh said.

“You two fought well. For untrained men.” Chamuz added.

Mekor and Teross looked at one another. Mekor decided to finally say, “Well. Thank you. I apologize for the attack.”

“I’m not apologizing for shit that was a fun fight.”

_“Teross.”_

“What?”

“Are we done here?” Huvel asked, clearly finished with dealing with the various personalities of the day. “You two will have to still be held here for questioning. But if you're dropping charges…”

Xenorr gave a glare, the two men nodding vigorously. Huvel turned to the brothers.

“Then you two will simply need to sign for the recognition of property damage to Quark. I’ve been informed that you will be paying him back directly as recompense. Given that it’s Quark, I’ll simply be looking for the receipt in a months time. I will have to follow up on this case if you don’t pay him back, so just be aware of that.”

Teross smiled, saying, “Wonderful, so we can leave?”

“Not quite. One last question. Why are you headed to Bajor?”

Mekor narrowed his eyes at that. There was no reason for her, legally, to keep asking about this. Unless she thought they were still a threat. Specifically a threat to Bajorans. But it wouldn’t be worth it to stick his feet in and risk losing time.

“We are headed to speak to Benjamin Sisko.”

Huvel had a very good poker face, as the other security offers showed their amazement, confusion, and derision. 

“Can you confirm this?”

“Well-uh” Mekor realized just how badly they had planned this, “We met his son and while we did not confirm that we would actually go he insisted on telling his father that we might drop by to ask some...questions.”

Huvel sighed, “You might drop by?”

“We were unsure before but we’ve since decided to go see him.”

“...I need to make some calls. Captain Xenorr, if you could return to your ship? Your men will be held here until questioning is over, it shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes. You two, you may leave the cell, and wait outside this room, please do not wander off.”

With that, she exited, the other guards quick to lead each person in or out of their new positions. 

\---

It was a very strange 15 minutes before Huvel arrived.

“You two are free to go. The Emissary was already informed and seems...interested in meeting you two. He has arranged for you to meet him tomorrow afternoon, with transport plans here,” She handed over a PADD to Mekor. “I do hope you are better prepared to talk with him than you were with us.”

“Well yes of course um. Thank you.”

Walking back to the main area of the Promenade, Mekor handed over the PADD to Teross.

“Just to avoid anything, can we sleep on your ship?”

“And here I thought we were going to get to enjoy some holosuites and proper beds tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So due to how crazy this month has been this got delayed but I should be on track to keep uploading. Also different perspectives on the Dominion War and its outcome. Any thoughts on the fight? Or on how Quark has somehow dedicated 10 more years of his life to the bar? Comments and kudos always welcome.


	4. Ben makes a charcuterie board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mekor and Teross go to Bajor, and get to talk with Sisko about family.

It had been a strange arrival to Bajor. Mekor remembered his last two visits, once as a student and another as an ametuer historian assisting a friend in finding old Bajoran instruments. Both times he had gotten mugged, and both times he had tried to hide himself from public areas. It was a stark difference to the crowd that was forming as he and Teross got onto a hovercar, chauffeur and all. Everyone was staring at them, which wasn't so different, but Mekor could feel a curiosity that had not been there before. Apparently news of the Emissary inviting two Cardassians to his household, of which very few got to enter, had spread. Who they were would likely become the topic of interest for the next few days. Hopefully they would be out of there before that time arrived. 

If he weren’t so nervous, he would probably be appreciating the view of the Bajoran countryside. Large, sloping hills had graced his sight for the last hour. Apparently Benjamin Sisko had bought a huge plot of land at the tail end of the war. In the five years since he returned, his wife and son had ensured that it was well kept and taken care of, a modest house right in the middle of the estate. A house that Mekor could see now as the hovercar started to slow down. 

Finally pulling to a stop, the chauffeur exited the vehicle, opening the door for Mekor before doing the same for Teross. Before either of them could thank the man, he got back in and drove off.

Teross sighed, “Well, that’s not worrying at all.”

“I’m sure they just need to charge the car, it’ll probably be back once we’re done here.”

“That’s really not as reassuring as you think it is.”

“Let’s just. Go in and discuss what we need to and we’ll be back home in no time.”

The front door opened, a human woman smiling as she said, “You must be the boys Jake talked about, come on in.”

Looking at each other, Mekor walked forward first, doing a small bow.

“Oh that’s not necessary, you’re guests, no need for that kind of formality. I’m Kasidy Yates-Sisko, Ben’s wife. Rebecca, our daughter, she's still playing outside but she’ll be in soon enough. Ben’s still fixing up some snacks in the kitchen, he’ll be out any second. Come on in, you two can take the couch, you get a great view of the hills from there.”

Kasidy expertly got the two to sit, both still stiff as boards. 

“Can I get you two anything to drink?”

“Oh, uh, just water is fine.”

“I’ll probably need a kanar.”

Mekor none too subtly jabbed Teross’ side with an elbow.

“Juice would be fine, actually.”

Kasidy gave a small smile, “What kind?” 

“Just. Juice. Any kind you have would be great.”

“One water and one juice, coming up.” Kasidy left, lifting a hand to cover her growing smile.

Mekor turned to Teross, keeping his voice low, “ _Juice?”_

Teross looked indignant, “ _What the fuck was I supposed to say?_ ”

“ _I don’t know, but you don’t ask for fucking kanar and then not know which type of juice you want.”_

_“I panicked, ok?”_

Hearing a door open, they both went quiet as they saw a young girl run in down the hall. She spotted them and gave them a small wave as she entered the room.

The brothers both jumped as Kasidy walked back in, announcing, “One water and one Valomian apple juice, coming up!” 

“Thank you.”

“Thanks.”

Kasidy turned to Rebecca, asking, “Rebecca, have you said hello yet?”

“I waved at them.”

“Well introduce yourself.”

“Hi! Im Rebecca Jae Sisko, and I’m 10 and a half years old.”

“You have two months before you hit that mark.”

“But that’s really close.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Rebecca,” Mekor said, “How has, um, school been?”

“School’s been over for a month Mr...uh”

“Drim, Mekor Drim.”

Kasidy gave a look to Rebecca, “You still have that summer project to work on. How about you show me how far you’ve gotten on that.”

“But I wanna talk to Mr. Drim, Cardassians never come over.”

“I know sweetie, but they want to have a private conversation with your father, alright. I’m sure he can tell us about it later. Head on up, I’ll follow you in a bit.”

Rebecca gave an overexaggerated roll of her head. “Fine.” She said, running upstairs.

Kasidy gave a glance to Mekor, saying, “She’s a real ball of energy and from what I heard you're here for some serious questions. I will say you're doing better than some, we once had the husband of an ambassador faint before he even walked in.”

Mekor just gave a small nod. 

Kasidy asked, “Is this your first time in Bajor?”

Mekor answered, “Oh, no. I’ve been to Bajor twice before this trip, though it wasn't anything like this. This is Teross’ first time on the planet.”

“Oh wonderful, I hope you have a good stay, it’s a beautiful place.”

“We uh. We don’t actually plan on staying on Bajor too long. We didn’t have any plans to be here apart from this visit.”

“Oh. Well I hope this visit can entice you two to come back some other time.”

“Make way!” a male voice said, as Benjamin Sisko walked into the room, carrying a large board of assorted foods. “Mostly human and Bajoran finger foods, I hope you don’t mind that. There we are.” Setting the board down on a low table, Sisko gave a peck to Kasidys cheek before sitting down across from the duo.

“That’s my cue,” Kasidy said, “I’ll be helping Rebecca with her project.”

“In that case take some food with you.”

“Ben, I know what we’re having for dinner, I’d rather save some room.”

“Alright then.” Sisko smiled as Kasidy walked upstairs, before giving his full attention to the brothers.

“So! You’re the ones who went to see Jake. Pleasure to have you.”

Standing up, Mekor gave a curt nod to Sisko.

“Oh no need for that, you’re guests. How was the drive here?”

Sitting back down, Mekor replied, “It was good, this is a-a beautiful home you have, a wonderful area, truly.”

“That’s good to hear. How was Jake? I got his message about you visiting him.”

“He’s, he seems to be doing wonderfully sir. His home is, it's also quite beautiful.”

“That’s good to hear.”

This was not going the way Mekor expected it to. He was here to ask about his dead half sister and father, not eating snacks while Sisko asked about his son. 

“Sir, while I-”

“Oh Sisko is fine.”

“Uh-right. Sisko. Did your son. Inform you of who we were? Who our...relation is?”

“Of course he did. Did you think I would treat you unkindly for being Dukat’s sons?”

“W-well it’s just--”

“Yes.” Teross cut in.

“ _Teross.”_

“I’m sorry, would you rather we lie to Benjamin Sisko?”

“No but--”

Sisko spoke up, “If I were to judge you based on your father, or how you looked similar to him,” indicating his head at Teross, who flinched, before continuing, “Then I would be a no better than the people who judged your sister,” he continued, “I judged you based on what Jake told me about you, and from what I heard you two are simply looking for answers to some questions relating to your past.”

Mekor nodded, “Yes, that is why we’ve come here. I, we, never got many answers about Ziyal, or Dukat, and I wanted to have an opportunity to do so.”

“Then ask away.”

“What can you tell me of Ziyal, from the time you spent with her?”

Sisko leaned back, considering before he answered, “She was a kind young woman, from what I knew of her. A bit too trusting with her father, but you can’t blame her for wanting to have a family. An artist, and I think I pushed Jake to talk to her about his writing at one point. With how much she was moved around it was surprising to see how well she adjusted, especially given her background.”

“What was that background?”

Sisko raised his eyebrows, “Oh you haven’t been told much at all. When she was a child, Dukat had her and her mother moved, I believe he was aiming to get them to a neutral planet. But their ship was shot down, and the Breen forced her and the other passengers to work in a dilithium mine. I think it was on Dozaria, but I’d need to double check. She hadn’t known much else until her father and Major Kira went and got her out of there.” 

“Wait, Major Kira? She’s a Colonel isn’t she?” asked Teross.

“She is, but at the time she only held the rank of Major. As I was saying, she adjusted well. I know she had a hard time of it on both Cardassia and Bajor, but she handled them as well as anyone in her position could. She gave her loyalty to the people around her, not to any one planet or people, and for that she was rather special.”

“And what was Dukat like, when she was alive?”

“Well to be frank, we were still enemies. Ziyal had made his career difficult, demoting him from Gul to freighter captain. But if it hadn’t been for that he might not have been in the position he was to form an alliance with the Dominion. But from what I know, he was still kind to Ziyal. He cared for her, deeply, and he was very concerned for her safety. That’s why she was on the station in the first place, Dukat didn’t want her in the line of fire while he went after the Klingons, so he sent her to stay on Deep Space Nine. They did have their fights, she cared about Garak, and while Dukat could never bring himself to let his hatred go, Ziyal could never see why Dukat could never forgive Garak. To be honest, I never fully understood the hatred either.”

“Well, Garak did murder our grandfather.” Teross said.

Sisko looked utterly bewildered as Teross continued, “Oh, you were never told? Yeah it’s kind of an open secret. He did it back in the Obsidian Order days so it's old news but yeah. I never even got to meet the old man, Mekor did you?”

“I was four, so I only have vague memories of him, but yes, Garak was the one to kill him. I believe Dukat already disliked him but _that_ set him over to hatred.”

“Well that certainly explains some things.” Sisko said, rubbing his temples. 

Mekor started again, “Um. Back to my questions I...how do I put this. We heard that Dukat didn’t evacuate and was captured by Starfleet when they retook the station. And that, within that time, his mental health had deteriorated. At the same time, Ziyal had been shot by Damar.”

“You're asking if Ziyals death was what caused Dukat to lose his mind?”

“...Yes.”

“Absolutely. I saw him soon after I returned to the station and. Well. He was inconsolable. He kept talking about forgiveness. The only time he seemed aware was when he was being moved from his cell and saw me. He just said, ‘I forgive you too’, and gave me back an old possession, my baseball. I saw him a short time afterwards. We got stranded and initially it seemed he had recovered, but as time passed it was clear that he was a different man, one who could not be reasoned with. After that, he used the Pah’wraiths, as they used him. There’s little doubt in my mind that had Ziyal lived, Dukat would not have become a follower of the Pah’wraiths.” 

“Speaking of the Pah’wraiths, was Dukat...actually of that faith?” Mekor questioned.

“Well, yes,” Sisko elaborated, “When we became aware of his connections to the cult, we all assumed he was using it to his own ends. When Major Kira was kidnapped by them, she was able to prove that he was still just as selfish as before, but he had put his trust into the Pah’wraiths in his goal to destroy the Bajoran people and I. The Pah’wraiths chose him as their Emissary. It’s hard to say if it was gradual or if it was from the moment he started making plans, but he was a man who gave his all to them.”

Mekor and Teross looked aghast. Taking that information in, Mekor grabbed some of the food from the board, fiddling with the cracker he had grabbed before eating it. Teross seemed to be processing by shoving a bunch of the food into his mouth, but Mekor was too preoccupied to chastise him. 

Before Mekor could collect himself Teross asked, mouth still chewing, “So you can’t check if he had like, more kids on the side right?”

“ _Teross!_ ”

Sisko chuckled, “I don’t have any way of doing that, though I can assure you he will never have another child. He is trapped with the Pah’wraiths forever.”

“What I think my brother is trying to say,” Mekor said, trying to hold onto propriety, “is that despite being our father, we knew little about Dukat, and would not want to risk anymore surprises due to what he had done.”

“What my time on Deep Space Nine taught me is that there will always be surprises from one's past, often in ways we don’t expect or anticipate. My mother was not the woman I thought she was, my path was not one I had expected when I joined Starfleet, and many of my friends and family had their pasts interact in ways they could never have thought of. How we look back on the past always changes given what we know of the present. For me, my interactions with Dukat was, well, the start of the end. Of many things, but primarily the war. Whether it was when we first met all those years ago or when I went into that temple to fight him for the last time, that was what he became for me. Jake told me about a sister you have?”

“Yes, from my father.” answered Mekor.

“I bet you're looking back at your past right now, and thinking of it differently because of her, is that right?”

“It. It is.”

“Then all you can do is continue to confront your past, in whatever way you can.”

There was a moment of silence as Mekor processed that advice. Teross kept looking between the two of them, waiting for one of them to speak.

Eventually, Mekor said, “I. I thank you for what you’ve told us, and thank you so much for allowing us to spend this time with you. I know it must be odd, to have the two of us poking around asking about our own family.”

“I don’t think it’s odd. I think it’s quite courageous of you two to come here, admitting that you have gaps in your knowledge. Cardassians are often too prideful to ask others for help.”

“Well, Cardassians changed a lot after the war,” said Teross, “All that Starfleet aid may have pissed off the older generations, but as kids we learned to appreciate the food and shelter we could get, being surrounded by all those bombed out houses. Cardassians are a much different people now, and I hope that you can see that.”

“I do,” replied Sisko, “The difference is quite evident, and I hope that it stays different, to be honest.”

“Well that’s something we can agree on then.” Teross said, standing up. Stretching a hand out to Sisko, they shook hands, “I don’t know half the stuff you put on that board but it was delicious. We should be done here so let's get out of your hair,” turning to Mekor he asked, “We are done here right?”

“Eh-Yes, those were all my most pressing questions, we should head out.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay any longer?” Sisko asked.

“We’ve already taken so much of your time, we really should head out.” Mekor said, still moving with a nervous energy as he rounded stood up and shook Sisko’s hand. 

“You’re still looking for answers, aren’t you?”

“Well yes but--”

“If you want better details about Ziyal, then Kira would be your best bet.”

“I’ll,” Mekor thought about it, “-I’ll consider that Sir. Sisko. Thank you for having us.”

“It was wonderful to have you. I’ll call up the car to get you out.”

Sisko walked them to the front door, before heading off to talk to the chauffeur.

Teross turned to give a pointed look at Mekor.

“Colonel Kira?”

Mekor shrugged, “She was on the list Jake gave me, it makes sense.”

“I’m pretty sure she’ll throw us out if we ask to talk with her, given who we are and the fact last time we were on the station we caused a bar fight.”

“Just-” Mekor sighed, “Lets just see if we can talk to her alright? At least we can hold off having to go back home and confront Mom again.”

They saw the hovercar pull up and stop. They entered, going silent as they sat, both looking out the windows and thinking.

Mekor considered what Sisko had said, about how Dukat was the start of the end of the war. He considered, what point that was for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to school kicking back in the schedule and updates will likely be out of wack. I have one chapter left that's mostly ready to upload for next week so expect that next Saturday/early Sunday, afterwards weekly updates will likely not be happening. In other news the Ben chapter! Very excited about it because my tags about ben finally apply! What did you think about the boys trying to be polite with a man who only really wants them to comment about his charcuterie board. Comments and kudos fuel my life.


	5. Last items

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another flashback to the last day of the war, right when the electricity came back on. Mekor and his family go on a trip.

“Citizens of Cardassia, this latest wave of vandalism directed against your Dominion allies must stop. We know that these disgraceful acts of sabotage were carried out by a mere handful of extremists, but these radicals must come to realize that their disobedience will not be tolerated. That you, the Cardassian people, will suffer the consequences of their cowardly actions. Which is why, I must inform you, a few moments ago, Dominion troops reduced Lakarian City to ashes. There were no survivors. Two million men, women, and children, gone, in a matter of moments. For each act of sabotage committed against the Dominion, another Cardassian city will be destroyed. I implore you not to let that happen, let us return to the spirit of friendship, and cooperation between our peoples so that together we can destroy our common enemies. Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans, and all the others that stand against us. Thank you.”

Mekor could hear someone in the room crying. He heard Lorrem yell in anger, he heard fear in Khossan’s voice as she asked what they were going to do. The screen had gone blank and yet he couldn’t stop staring at it. He could still see the Vorta, Weyoun, vacant of emotion as he delivered the news that the Dominion had just killed two million people. The last estimates of the Cardassian losses in the war were around five million, and that had been over the years that the war had dragged on. He only jolted out of his dazed state when he saw Lorrem pushing Darne down, his sisters heading over to stop whatever altercation had started between them. Lorrem had a phaser, the one that was normally kept in under the bookshelves. 

Mekor acted on instinct, grabbing Lorrem and trying to hold him down, only successful with Mojea’s help from the other side to pin him, twisting Lorrem’s arm to drop the phaser. Lorrem screamed, tears streaming down his face. 

“I’LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE DOMINON BASTARDS. I’LL MAKE THEM PAY.”

Mojea yelled something back at him, but Mekors brain was still full of static. They had family in Lakarian City. His cousins, his uncles, they lived right in the middle of the city, they were dead. Even if they had tried leaving, the aftershocks of a blast would likely have destroyed their bodies. 

He could hear more noise now. Teross was asking questions. Ena was kicking the phaser under a chair. Lorrem and Khossan were arguing. Mojea was trying to say something to him, what was she saying? He needed to listen to her, he needed to make sure she was alive, that they could all stay alive, oh no he was crying, he could hear himself crying and--

“Enough.”

Athra Drim did not yell at her children, for they would always listen to her. Mekor could still feel himself crying, but he had a focus now. He could feel Lorrem release the tension in his body as they all looked to their mother. 

“Pack lightly, emergency level. We leave in 10 minutes.”

Mekor stood. In any other scenario he might hate how quickly he was taking to an order from his mother without even asking questions. But everything was different now, wasn't it? He grabbed Teross, hurrying past his mother to head to their rooms.

He could hear the others starting to get out of their own shocked states, heading to their own rooms. Arguments and questions could happen when they were packed.

They all had emergency bags for situations where they had to leave on short notice. Two changes of clothes, a week of rations, and a small set of amenities and tools packed into a compact bag. Mother was being generous with their time, since the emergency bags were technically all they needed if she really wanted them to leave this second. This was simply time to grab extra. Extra what would be up to them.

Mekor got Teross to his room, pushing him in. He could hear himself saying, “Grab the emergency bag and put anything you really need into an extra. I’ll help, but I have to get my things too, so hurry up.” 

It was strange, this separation between himself and his body. It’s not like he saw the destruction. They’d been at war for years now, and nothing had made him feel like this. He didn’t know what to do with this feeling. But he could help Teross pack, and so he did. 

Teross’ idea of ‘things I need to bring with me’ were probably not what their mother would approve of, but she wasn’t there to help Teross pack now was she? Mekor helped stuff the PADDS of Cardassian comics into Teross’ bag, cramming it in with extra clothes and his multitool. Uncle Cevnon had given that to him. Cevnon was dead, probably another body in Lakarian-

“You need to pack too.”

Mekor hadn’t noticed Teross was holding his hand, which was now griping the multitool. He looked over at Teross. Just a few minutes ago he had been shaking, terrified of the chaos going on in the house, on the entire planet. Yet in this moment, he was only thinking of making sure his older brother was also packed. Mekor couldn’t tell if Teross knew the full extent of his action, that he was keeping his brother focused on the present. Mekor gave him a forced smile. 

“Yeah. I’ll pack all my boring history books, I can read to you all about Lumerian plays.”

He got up, heading over to his room. He could hear Lorrem still crying in his own room but he needed to pack. They didn’t have much time.

Mekor looked at his room. What was worth keeping? What would be sufficient enough to just look at in this moment? Mother hadn’t said anything yet but he knew she wanted them out of the city, who knows how long it would be before they got to come back. His body started to move, grabbing random PADDS into his bag, barely folding his clothing before stuffing them in. He checked the clock. Two minutes. He should head out, make sure the others were ready to go.

Exiting his room, he could already see Khossan and Lorrem heading downstairs. He checked Ena. She was packed, her bright room put in contrast to her solemn self, holding the emergency bag in her hands and a backpack slung over her shoulder. 

Clearing his throat, Mekor said, “Ena. We need to go now.”

Ena looked up at him with a stare he had never seen on her before. It was an anger that was holding itself back. He knew it wasn’t directed at him, but it still took him aback. Ena looked away, pouting.

“I don’t want to leave.”

“We have to listen to Mom. Come on, we need to get Teross and then we’ll go down.” He put his hand out to her. She looked at it for a moment before sliding off her bed. Grabbing his hand, they headed to Teross’ room.

“HURRY IT UP, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE.” Khossans voice rang from downstairs.

“We’re coming down, we’re coming down.” Mekor answered, popping his head in to see Teross holding a printed photo of-oh dear.

“Put it in your bag or leave it Teross, we need to go.”

Teross looked up, both bags at his sides. He looked back down at the photo, folding it into quarters before placing it in his bag, zipping it up and clicking the handle so that it popped out. Mekor hadn’t even realized that the extra bag Teross was bringing was his roller bag for school. He almost laughed at the sight, his brother holding his roller bag in one hand and his emergency bag in the other. Teross walked out in front of him and Ena, hurrying down the stairs. 

The others were already at the garage, all of them gathered as Athra and Kel, their butler, got all the bags in. Handing his bags over, Mekor looked around at his siblings. They had been calmed by their mothers orders, but the desire to know what was to come was bubbling, soon to spill over. Mojea was the first to break it.

“Mom, where are we going?”

“Lakarian City.”

“...Why?”

“Do you know what the one job that never loses business is?”

“...A tax enforcer?”

“No. A mortician. And at this very moment there are millions of bodies that must be found and put to rest. But before that,” She turned to Kel, saying, “When we leave, find my communication board. Send a message to the Cardassian ships about Lakarian City. They need to know about it before the Dominion gets their communications back.”

“Ma’am, with the interference, even a simple message may take hours to properly transmit, and with the movement of ships, I can’t ensure that it will even be received.” Kel replied.

“There are hundreds of high ranking Cardassians who have these. Any worth their salt will be attempting the same. Any amount of transmission is better than nothing, and if those that sabotaged the long range communications are good at what they do, then they will buy us much needed time. Don’t wait to see if they get received, have it sent and go into hiding, or leave the city. I suspect it will be in full riot soon enough. You’ve served us well for 30 years, Kel, it would be disappointing for you to die.”

“I share the same sentiment to you and your family Ma’am.” Kel answered, bowing.

“Then we leave immediately. Children, in the hovercar, now.”

Piling in, Mekor racked his brian to figure out his mother’s reasoning. They were going to a city that had just been bombed. He could tell he wasn’t the only one with that question on his mind. Mekor saw Khossan still standing outside the hovercar, arms crossed.

“Khossan, get in.” Their mother ordered.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Don’t be a petulant child at a time like this, get in already.”

“I-I can’t just do that. I have to make sure people here are safe. I have a boyfriend, and friends, and--”

“And your siblings and I also have connections here that we value, and yet despite being the oldest you have decided to act like an infant. You can ensure that your friends are fine after we assist those in Lakarian City. Now do not make me repeat myself a third time Khossan.”

Khossan looked down, scowling as she realized she had no way to argue out of this predicament. She entered the hovercar.

\----

It took two hours to Lakarian City from the capital. It usually was twice that time on hovercar, but with practically no other hovercars in the way and Athra driving well above legal speed limits, they arrived in record time. 

The first thing Mekor noted was how much dust was still in the air. It was like a haze over the city. The road itself started to get more and more broken, until they reached a point where too much rubble blocked the way. Athra went off road, trying to find enough flat land to keep the hovercar going forward. They stopped near one building still standing, two stories tall, its roof torn off and much of the metalwork twisted. Mekor could hear someone inside crying in pain.

Athra slung her bag over her shoulder, taking out a phaser as she walked into the building.

The children followed after her, Mekor constantly looking around. He had to breathe through his mouth to limit the acrid smell of the city, dust and smoke and everything still burning emitting a stench that made Mekor nauseous. He spotted where the crying was coming from. Under a large slab of concrete was a Cardassian man, fruitlessly trying to push off the slab.

“Federation, Klingon, Romulans, assholes, the lot of them, they’ll-Oh! Oh thank the stars, survivors! Please, I, I can’t get out, I think my leg is stuck, if you could all help me out I would be the most grateful man on the planet.”

“It wasn’t the Allies.” Athra said, taking out her phaser, “Mojea, come here, Khossan, Lorrem, get a hold and get ready to lift on my command. Mekor, hold him and help pull him out. Name?”

“Jaled Gor. What do you mean it wasn’t the Allies? Who else would have bombed us?”

“Well, Jaled Gor, unfortunately the Dominion has decided that killing Cardassians will be easier than subjugation.”

Jaled paled at that. Ignoring his shock, Athra directed Mojea to look at where Jaled was stuck. 

“How damaged are his legs?”

“I-It’s hard to tell, but. His right leg is definitely stuck.”

“Khossan, Lorrem, raise the slab at my command, Mekor, pull when the slab is up. Mojea, look under to see if the leg is salvageable. Move in three, two, one.”

Khossan and Lorrem heaved the slab up, able to raise it a few inches up. Mekor tried to pull Jaled , but quickly he was unable to move him. Jaled screamed as Mojea tried to stick her hand next to his leg.

“Mojea, out. Put the slab down.” Athra commanded.

The siblings panted, with Jaled letting out a scream of frustration. 

“We will have to amputate.” Athra said.

“Mother-” Mojea tried to say, before Jaled cut her off.

“There won’t be any way to get me out without cutting it off, girl. I refuse to die stuck under this wall. You have a phaser? Change the setting so that it can be cauterized after it’s cut.”

Mojea stared at Jaled, eventually nodding.

“Mother, give me your phaser please. This won't be a clean cut with the angle, and we have to clean it as soon as possible.”

Handing her phaser, Athra stood next to Khossan.

“Move on one. Three, two, one.”

Mekor had to wait until the slab was up and for Mojea to cut the leg. He had to wait, wait even when Jaled started screaming. He was shock still, holding Jaled fast as the man started shaking in pain, until finally Mojea yelled, “PULL!” He finally moved, dragging Jaled back as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until they were several feet away from the rubble that he set Jaled down. It was then he was able to see the actual leg.

It was at this point that Mekor realized just how much he couldn’t deal with the smell of freshly cut body parts.

\---

Mekor rushed out of the building, throwing up near the entrance. He could hear some of his siblings calling out, but he couldn’t parse out which. He spat out several times, trying to get as much of the puke out of his mouth as he could. They only had a limited amount of water, and it wouldn’t do well to use it just to wash out his mouth, much as he wanted to. With dizziness overwhelming him, Mekor slid to his knees. Taking deep breaths, he looked up to try and avoid the mess he had made. While the dizziness started to subside, Mekor noticed a figure walking relatively nearby. A figure that Mekor realized was that of a Jem’hadar as the soldier turned to his direction.

Kicking himself back into the building, Mekor half-crawled, half-skid to his mother, the main part of the amputation over as Mojea was now wrapping up Jaleds stump. 

“There’s a Jem’hadar, he's headed this way.” 

Athra stiffened at that, asking, “Did he see you?”

“I-I don’t know, I moved before I could tell.”

“All of you, lay low and not a sound.”

The children and Jaled all moved to the mostly intact wall. Trying to twist the phaser to another setting, Athra’s concern grew as it became stuck.

“Of all the damn-Jaled, do you know how to use a phaser?”

“I do.”

Athra threw the phaser to him.

“It’s jammed. Fix it as quickly as possible.”

“That might require more time than we have.”

Staring through a crack to see the Jem’hadar, Athra huffed.

“Then I’ll give you as much time as I can give.” 

“Wh-”

Athra rushed to the exit, grabbing a shard of window before disappearing as she turned the corner. Mekor found another crack to look through. The Jem’hadar seemed to have his attention drawn to the hovercar, several metres away from the building. He hadn’t been seen then. At least they have that safety. 

“Mekor, get down, he’ll see you.” Khossan hissed at him.

“I-”

“Quiet you lot, did you not hear your mother? Now keep looking, I need to know what’s going on.” Jaled whispered. 

Mekor resumed his watch. The Jem’hadar seemed to have lost interest with the car and was now looking towards the surrounding buildings. After making a survey of the area, he walked towards the one they were in. Mekor froze. The Jem’hadar would have shot if he had spotted him, but if they all moved now they would definitely be caught, and how could they all even move quickly with Jaled’s newly acquired limited mobility.

Before Mekor could decide how to inform the group about the high likelihood that they were about to die, he saw his mother rise from out of a patch of rubble behind the Jem’hadar, jumping onto his back. Unable to shoot her at that angle, the Jem’hadar used one hand to grab at Athra, leaning over in an attempt to flip her. Athra fell off. Mekor yelled, his siblings forgetting their mother’s orders as they clammered to try and see as well. The Jem’hadar attempted to raise his gun, but he dropped it as he started to grasp at his neck. Athra had cut the tube that connected him to his drugs. 

Athra rolled to the gun, grabbing it and raising herself in one smooth motion. The Jem’hadar fell on his back. 

For a moment, time seemed to slow. Athra, plasma rifle aimed at the Jem'hadar’s head. The Jem’hadar, one hand clawing at his neck, raising one hand up, as if shielding himself from the blast. And then Athra shot him.

At the angle they were positioned, Mekor, thankfully, was unable to see the full effects of the shot. He could see his mothers profile as she brought the gun down. Her head shot to the side, staring directly at him. He reeled back.

“What happened?”

“What did you see?”

His siblings asked.

Mekor could only answer, “Mom’s mad.”

“ _What did I say?”_

Athra did not scream, but her voice was layered in ice as she rounded upon the group.

“ _If that Jem’hadar had spotted you you could have had your entire family killed, do you understand?”_

“Y-Yes mo-”

“ _Don’t use useless words. When I tell you something I expect you to listen.”_

“I-”

“I told the boy to be the lookout.” Jaled interrupted, “He had a good vantage point that was hard to spot and he’s quick on his feet.”

Athra turned her icy glare to Jaled. Jaled, undeterred, met her gaze. _Testing each other_ , Mekors mind supplied.

“We are at a precarious point in this war,” Athra finally said, “We will go take the hovercar and find better shelter. Jaled Gor, I know your recent impairment will make challenges, but you are a fellow Cardassian, and I will insist you stay with us until we must leave Lakarian City. As for you,” she turned to Mekor, “Never. Break a rule that I make. That goes for all of you.”

“Yes ma’am.” The children answered.

This was no longer home, and Mekor realized that there was a good chance they never would be able to go back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, the scene I've been most excited to write for What are we now is here! Can't believe every flashback chapter is just "wow Athra really is cool but also a terrible person". Last of the chapters to come out on a weekly basis. School is taking up more time, and also the next chapters are gonna be a bigger challenge to write. I can't say for sure when the next chapter will be up but I d like chapter 6 to be out by the end of the month. Though when I come back it will be time for the Kira interview so make sure to keep your eyes peeled. Comments and kudos are always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hope you all enjoyed. I'd like to thank @adrunkgiraffe for beta'ing this work (and getting me into DS9 in the first place). I have a few chapters written already and will try to keep a weekly upload schedule. Comments and kudos are my life-force. Art of the brothers (and other siblings) will be arriving with next chapter.


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